Watashi wa koko ni iru!
by Puppy with Sharp Teeth
Summary: How Akira might have handled Shuji's fall from grace. Shuji/Akira slash.


**WATASHI WA KOKO NI IRU!**

**Title:** ~ わたしはここにいる! ~WATASHI WA KOKO NI IRU!

**Fandom: **Nobuta wo Produce

**Pairing: **Shuji to Akira

**Genre:** Fluffy angst

**Rating: **PG

**Dedicated to: **Loyal readers

**A/N:** I've been writing a lot for this fandom lately, have I? XD I blame Shuji to Akira's obvious gayness…and fanvids, those are definitely to blame too. Especially the one on YouTube set to Tatu's 'All the Things She Said,' which is really well done. I am pimping it. Go watch it, it's a masterpiece. I'll never look at the Seishun Amigo PV the same way ever again. XD

You know something funny I realized too? Every time I write one of these and I think I've over-exaggerated Akira's personality, I go back and re-watch an episode only to find "Damn! He really is that crazy! I've not made him mad enough!"

I've said it once, I'll say it again. AKIRA IS HARD TO PULL OFF! XO (Dear gods…seven fics…I'm a freaking masochist! XO)

This was created as a bit of a "what if?" scenario of how Akira might have handled Shuji's fall from grace.

**わたしはここにいる****! ~ WATASHI WA KOKO NI IRU!**

Akira was sitting in his own seat near the window staring at Shuji, who was in his own little private hell. After the class had found out about how many times he had lied to them, the boy seemed to be slowly withering away. His whole intricately constructed façade had been stripped away from him leaving him confused and scared and humiliated.

Akira could not bear to watch his best friend disappearing before his eyes at his own choosing. He didn't care that Shuji was a liar; he was Shuji. Shuji only lied because he thought it would make others happy if he didn't say things straight to their face. It was one of the reasons that Akira had come to love the boy. He didn't want to hurt you, even if he didn't particularly like hanging out with you. That, and the way he seemed unable to lie that way in front of the people he really cherished. The way he let you into the secret of what an imperfect, flawed and wonderful person he actually was.

But no matter how many times he waved at his friend, he would not wave back or register that he saw him. Akira wasn't even sure if Shuji could see him anymore, over the barrier of self-imposed loneliness and misery he had put up. A self-imposed punishment for hurting everyone around him. And it hurt Akira to watch.

"Hmmm. This has to stop," he thought. "Shuji-kun will die if he keeps shutting himself off from everything. I have to save him! I _need_ to save him!" He waved and konned and chuu-nyuued for twenty minutes before he gave up. The boy wasn't reacting to anything he was doing. "This is silly of Shuji-kun."

It was even sillier though, he decided, that everyone else pretended he did not exist. Pretended that years of camaraderie had never happened. Akira didn't understand how they could be so bitter about it when Shuji had only been trying to make them happy. He had apologized for gods sakes! But it didn't seem to change anything. No matter how many times Shuji said good morning to them, they turned their backs on him and continued their conversations.

"He can't live like this. He doesn't know how," Akira mused. "He has never not been popular Shuji. He has never even been ignored by anyone in his whole life and now everyone is treating him like a wall! His heart is breaking…kinda like mine…" He clutched his heart. It was never, ever easy to see someone you love fall this far from grace and struggle to keep themselves together.

"He thinks he's so strong. Poor Shuji-kun, even you're fragile sometimes...I have to help him. If I don't save him now, he's going to break. These idiots are forgetting about him, but I won't let them! I'll show them Shuji is still here!"

Without warning Akira stood up in the middle of a lesson. Nobuta, and everyone else for that matter, watched with surprised eyes as the boy cleared his throat theatrically, did his signature kon gesture and said in a quiet voice, "Ne, Shu~u~ji-kun! Why won't you look at me and Nobuta?"

The whole class had gone completely silent as they watched Shuji swallow nervously and avoid eye-contact. After all, he couldn't bring Nobuta and Akira down with him. Akira was just trying to be nice, but this was making everything a little bit harder. He wished the boy would just sit back down and forget about him before he caused them any pain through the scrutiny of others. Nobuta had worked so hard just to hold her head up and look the world in the eyes, and Akira was too much of a moral, decent human being to been seen with him. A filthy liar.

"He's turning on himself again," Akira thought. He shook his head. Time to try more desperate measures. "Time for Plan B. Yes!" he smiled at the thought. He was kinda hoping it would come to this. In a few big strides, he was in front of the boy's desk. Shuji turned his head away, unable to look his best friend in the eyes.

"Shu~u~ji-kun…" he said simply. He rested his elbows on the desk and his face was balanced on his hands. "Shu~u~ji-kun…" he repeated. He watched his friend's face as the boy's eyes flashed briefly towards him, only to flick back to staring out the window. Akira seemed to find what he was looking for and grinned mischievously.

"Okay, now or never." He looked around at the class briefly. "You all still wanna pretend he's invisible, fine by me. I'll give you something to look at. Nobuta power, CHUU NYUU!" was his last thought, before months worth of conflicted feelings were finally confronted head-first.

Before anyone had time to blink, Akira leaned forward quickly and crushed his lips with Shuji's. The boy's eyes flew open in pure unadulterated shock, much like his classmates. There were gasps and catcalls and whispers of "I knew that guy liked boys!" There was not a face in t he entire room that had not reacted the kiss, which neither Akira nor Shuji had ended yet after about a minute.

Shuji didn't move. He couldn't even if he wanted to, which, if he had been forced to admit, he really did. He was completely paralyzed with shock. All he could do was sit there as his best friend's warm lips pressed lovingly against his own. He noticed things that shouldn't really have mattered, all things considered. Like the wheat-y taste of soy milk on Akira's lips, or the nice way Akira's eyelashes felt against his skin, or the twin pair of deep soulful brown eyes watching him for his reaction. Shuji wondered why he wasn't at all worried about his classmates' reactions, but he put it down to them not being able to think any worse of him than they already did. If he was honest though, it was more likely that he was just too busy trying to memorise the details of the kiss.

After what felt like an eternity, Akira let go and smiled like he had been handed the keys to the world. The boy got up and stuck his hands in his pockets, grinning for all to see. "That got your attention," he said to no one in particular, winking at first at Nobuta then Shuji, whose mouth hung open. He still couldn't believe or understand what the hell just happened or why. He looked around at over thirty pairs of eyes scrutinizing him, and heard someone to the side of him walk closer. It was Nobuta.

For a few moments, everyone went quiet and merely watched the silent trio. But being a classroom, of course it didn't last; people started talking to their neighbours about how this turning about to be a really weird week. How they weren't sure who was gonna do what next anymore. Akira's grin stayed in place, and Shuji could've sworn he saw the corner of Nobuta's mouth twitching before she looked down. Akira leaned in again while the class was still watching and said something only Shuji could hear. Something that almost made him lose his composure again.

"You see, Shuji-kun?" he murmured softly. "They can see you. No matter how much they pretend you don't exist, you're still here. We're still here too. We're here for you. And Nobuta and Akira will always see you, even if the whole world pretends you're invisible. We can see you're right here. Don't worry, we still love you." He lowered his voice a little more, so that it was barely a whisper. "I still love you, Shuji."

And with that, he stuck out his hand and waited for Shuji to take it. Shuji looked up at Nobuta, who nodded, and Akira, who smiled, and the class who were still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He laughed a tired but relieved laugh, and took the hand.

Together, the three of the left the room, arm in arm, not caring about the distressed sounds their teacher was making, or the anarchy they left behind. Shuji smiled when Akira turned to kiss him on the cheek and flash Nobuta a victory sign. Maybe now, he thought hopefully, he could just relax and be himself for once.

_**Owari.**_

**Didn't like the ending myself (like the entire last paragraph), but please give me your opinions please! Comment please…please? For a poor starving-for-attention-and-praise fanfiction writer?**


End file.
